Lab Manager

We are seeking an experienced Lab Manager to lead day-to-day operations within a cannabis extraction and manufacturing facility. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for overseeing a small extraction team while maintaining a strong focus on hydrocarbon extraction, product quality, production efficiency, safety, and regulatory compliance.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience operating and troubleshooting hydrocarbon extraction systems, with a strong understanding of the complete extraction workflow from biomass preparation and extraction through post-processing, filtration, solvent recovery, and finished-product preparation. This person should be comfortable working directly on the floor, developing team members, establishing SOPs, and driving consistent production results.

Key Responsibilities

Extraction & Production

• Lead daily cannabis extraction operations with a primary focus on hydrocarbon extraction.
• Operate, monitor, and troubleshoot hydrocarbon extraction equipment and associated systems.
• Oversee biomass preparation, extraction, filtration, solvent recovery, post-processing, and material handling.
• Optimize extraction processes for yield, potency, consistency, throughput, and product quality.
• Identify production bottlenecks and implement process improvements.
• Maintain accurate production records, batch documentation, and material tracking.
• Coordinate production schedules to ensure extraction targets are consistently achieved.
• Work closely with manufacturing and production leadership to support downstream products, including concentrates, vape products, and other cannabis-derived products.

Team Leadership

• Supervise and develop a small team of extraction technicians.
• Establish daily priorities, production goals, and workflow expectations.
• Train employees on equipment operation, SOPs, safety procedures, and quality standards.
• Monitor team performance and provide coaching and feedback.
• Maintain a culture of accountability, cleanliness, safety, and continuous improvement.

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure all extraction activities are performed according to applicable state regulations, facility policies, SOPs, and safety requirements.
• Maintain strict adherence to hazardous-material handling and hydrocarbon safety procedures.
• Ensure equipment is operated within established specifications and safety parameters.
• Support inspections, audits, investigations, and corrective actions as needed.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and compliant laboratory/extraction environment.
• Partner with QA and Compliance teams to ensure batches meet established quality and regulatory requirements.

Process Improvement

• Develop, update, and implement extraction SOPs and work instructions.
• Evaluate equipment, processes, and workflows for opportunities to improve efficiency and consistency.
• Assist with equipment commissioning, maintenance, troubleshooting, and vendor relationships.
• Maintain appropriate preventative-maintenance and equipment documentation.
• Track key production metrics including yield, throughput, downtime, waste, and batch performance.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional cannabis extraction experience, with significant hands-on hydrocarbon extraction experience.
• Proven experience working with hydrocarbon extraction systems in a commercial cannabis environment.
• Strong understanding of extraction, solvent recovery, filtration, post-processing, and concentrate production.
• Previous experience supervising or leading a small production/extraction team.
• Strong understanding of laboratory and manufacturing safety practices.
• Experience working within a regulated cannabis environment and maintaining compliant documentation.
• Ability to troubleshoot equipment and identify process issues independently.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills.
• Comfortable working in a hands-on production environment.
• Ability to train, coach, and hold team members accountable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with closed-loop hydrocarbon extraction systems.
• Experience with hydrocarbon systems utilizing butane, propane, or blended solvents.
• Experience producing live resin, cured resin, sauce, badder, shatter, or other hydrocarbon-derived concentrates.
• Experience with solvent recovery and post-extraction processing.
• Experience developing and implementing SOPs from the ground up.
• Familiarity with cannabis seed-to-sale tracking systems such as Metrc.
• Experience working with QA/QC teams and regulated batch-release processes.
• Familiarity with GMP, HACCP, or other quality-management systems.
• Technical degree, chemistry background, or relevant laboratory/manufacturing education is a plus.

Key Competencies

• Hydrocarbon Extraction Expertise
• Hands-On Technical Leadership
• Team Management & Development
• Production Planning
• Equipment Troubleshooting
• Process Optimization
• SOP Development
• Safety & Compliance
• Quality Control
• Data & Documentation
• Problem Solving
• Continuous Improvement